The dismal performance of British exporters continued to drag on the economy as the country racked up its biggest trade deficit since records began over the three months to October.

The trade gap widened to a record £28 billion from £24.9 billion in the quarter ended July, the Office for National Statistics said, as sales of goods into the rest of the European Union declined sharply. Britain’s weak exports have been a key reason for recent downgrades to growth forecasts, with the Office for Budget Responsibility saying this week that net trade had contributed only fractionally to growth since 2010